The 2016 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru includes 25% whole bunch fruit and is matured in 20% new oak. Cyprien said that the frost affected the old vines in this season. This felt very closed on the nose and unresponsive when given rigorous aeration. The palate has a dense, quite muscular opening, certainly Mazoyères in terms of weight and structure, with a finish that is like a teenager sulking in their bedroom. Yet you know they will come downstairs eventually, in this case, probably in around six to eight years' time. If only all sulky teenagers were like that.

The 2015 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has a refined bouquet with ample dark cherry, black plum and hints of violet coming through with time, though I found myself preferring more the delineation on the Gevrey Aux Combottes. The palate is medium-bodied with sweet tannin; conservative in some ways with sharp acidity and rigid tannin. Perhaps it needs more complexity and tension to develop on the finish by the time of bottling to rank with the best Charmes-Chambertin.

The 2013 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru has a perfumed, floral bouquet that is quintessential Charmes-Chambertin really. It is very well defined and pure with small dark cherries, blueberry and iris scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin structure, a citric thread of acidity and an austere and "serious" finish that is more Morey-like in style. There is a lovely sense of salinity on the aftertaste that begs you to take another sip. I actually prefer this to the Clos-de-la-Roche this year.

The 2012 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru comes from located on the Mazoyeres side toward Latricieres by the “Route de Grand Cru”. It has a rounded nose that envelops the senses: strawberry and mulberry at first, flint and smoke following after. The palate is very fine on the entry, exuding weightless intensity with immense precision. Apart from Denis Bachelet, this is probably one of the finest examples that I have encountered. After scheduling and re-scheduling numerous times during my November tastings, I finally reached Domaine Arlaud Pere & Fils for the first time in late January. But good things come to those that wait and I found much to admire in Cyprien Arlaud’s 2012s. The origin of the estate dates back to a wedding in 1949 when Joseph Arlaud married Renee Amiot. Among the wedding presents were tracts of vineyard, which is always more useful than a toaster or an ornamental clock. Joseph was succeeded by Herve Arlaud in 1982 and invested in new vineyards and the estate has now been passed to his three children: Cyprien, Romain and Bertille. The domaine has eschewed herbicides since 1999 and transferred the vineyards to organic viticulture in 2004, certified three years later. Naturally (no pun intended) they started embracing biodynamics in 2009, including the use of horses in the vineyard to reduce soil compaction. The winery was constructed in 2003 in Morey-Saint-Denis, on the “other side” of the RN74 away from the village, a less picturesque part of the appellation for sure, but with much more space to work in. The fruit is de-stemmed although Cyprien does play with whole cluster fruit subject to the growing season. Natural yeasts are used during alcoholic fermentation and oak tends to be 15-20% for village crus up to 40-80% for grand crus. When I visited the winery, it was after a long day tasting, but even so my senses lit up when I sipped the first sample. Here are wines made in a very pure and natural style, each evocative of their respective terroirs. Each wine was imbued with superb freshness and delineation; occasionally evoking images of the sea, at other times flowers. Cyprien explained how they wait for the optimal moment to harvest their vines, which can differ by days between different crus within the same appellation (see note for “Les Ruchots”.) Importer: North Berkeley Wine www.northberkeleyimports.com and also Raeburn Fine Wines (UK)